The UN counter-terrorism chief has said that cheap and easily accessible small arms are increasingly becoming the “weapon of choice” for many terror groups around the world posing a serious threat to international peace and security. “Insufficient international response in countering the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, the challenges that Member States face to detect and seize them, as well as porous borders, allow terrorists and criminals to move illicit weapons from one country or region to another,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov said.
“Small arms and light weapons are increasingly becoming the weapon of choice of many terrorist groups around the world as they are cheap and easy to access, transfer, hide and use, he said.
It is widely acknowledged that the connection between terrorism and organised crime, including illicit small arms and light weapons trafficking, is a serious threat to international peace and security. It is also an obstacle to sustainable development and a menace to the rule of law.
To illustrate the challenges, Voronkov, who is also Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), revealed estimates indicating that the African continent alone has one hundred million uncontrolled small arms and light weapons concentrated in crises zones and security-challenged environments.
“With an estimated population of 1.2 billion in Africa, this is an unfortunate and significant ratio of one to 12,” he said.
Without a strong international response, terrorists and criminals would easily be able to move illicit weapons from one country or region to another.
The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy underlines the connection between terrorism and the illicit small arms trafficking, conventional ammunitions and explosives, and calls on Member States to strengthen coordination and cooperation to address this challenge.
The UNOCT chief illustrated this through the example that illicit weapons originating from Libya were finding their way into the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
Since last year, the UNOCT and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) worked closely with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) to develop a project enhancing national legislative, strategic and operational capacities to prevent, detect and counter the firearms trafficking and other illegal activities related to terrorism and organised crime in Central Asia.
“The project is also another example of our ‘All-of-UN’ approach to support counter-terrorism efforts of Member States,” Voronkov said.
In her video statement, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly affirmed her Office’s “unique approach” to addressing the complex interlinked challenges of terrorism, crime and corruption.
“I am confident the project implementation will bring concrete results benefiting all Central Asian States. Our common goal is to make the region more secure & prosperous, free from illicit weapons & terrorism,” she said.
Using a “holistic approach”, Waly maintained that the project tackles the full range of obstacles.
